Work machines, such as articulated trucks, off-road machines, on-road machines, motor graders, dozers, and the like may be used in mining, construction, agriculture, petroleum, and other such applications. During operation, the work machine may need to maneuver around a work site which may include narrow pathways and many tight and twisting turns. In one non-limiting example, the work machine may include a front vehicle module (i.e., tractor) configured to pull or otherwise propel a rear hauling module. Moreover, the front vehicle may be configured with an engine or other such power source and a steering mechanism to propel and maneuver the work machine around the work site. Additionally, the front vehicle module may be pivotally coupled with the rear vehicle module, which may provide smaller turning radii and other maneuvering capabilities which allow the work vehicle to steer and maneuver around the narrow work site pathways.
Typically, the work machine may be configured with one front vehicle module and one rear hauling module in order to haul material across a variety of terrain such as traveling through narrow and twisting pathways in a mine or quarry. However, the use of one rear hauling vehicle may limit the hauling capacity of the work machine, increase the number of work machines required to complete a specific task, and increase the amount of time it may take to complete the specific task. As a result, it may be desired to configure the work machine to include more than one rear hauling module attached or otherwise coupled behind the lead vehicle module. For example, two or more rear hauling modules may be coupled behind the lead vehicle module in an attempt to provide additional hauling capacity. However, adding additional rear hauling modules may increase the overall length of the work machine. The increased length may create a challenge for the operator to steer and maneuver the work machine with increased length around the narrow and twisting work site pathways.
A double pivot joint for road vehicles is disclosed in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2014/0300082 entitled, “Double Joint Pivot Unit with Runner Gear for Road Vehicles,” (the '082 publication). The double pivot joint disclosed therein is equipped with a joint unit including double pivots and configured to couple a front member and a rear member of a vehicle. The joint unit of the '082 publication further includes a first rotating ring located in a portion of the joint unit towards the front member and a second rotating ring located in a portion of the joint unit towards the rear member. Additionally, the joint unit includes hydraulic cylinders connected through a hinged joint to a rocker gear. During normal operation the hydraulic cylinders follow the movement the rocker gear and serve as shock absorbers. However, the hydraulic cylinders are configured to hinder the movement of the rocker gear in situations where sudden and large turns of the front and rear members of the vehicle are detected, and therefore the respective members of the vehicle cannot rotate relative to each other.
However, the '082 publication does not utilize steering angle, route information, and operating conditions of the work machine to control and adjust an angle between the front member and the rear member of the vehicle.